Dancing Queen
by Arcanelle
Summary: [HIATUS][AU][RinKohaku] When Rin transferred to the Odoriko Performance Arts institute, she was determined to become the best dancer yet. What is she do when she finds herself falling in love with her drama instuctor's younger brother?
1. Chapter One : Don't Let Me Down

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Inuyasha. But guess what? In four weeks the dubbed version of episode 80 is on AS. That's the episode where Rin meets Kohaku! Also, I don't own the song... but that's kind of obvious, right?

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A/N:

I don't remember when or how I came up with this. All I knew is that I wanted to write a Rin/Kohaku story one minute and the next I was imagining the two swing dancing. Anyway, none of my faithful readers should worry - there will be M/S in this. Somewhat. Also, this will be either a trilogy, a quartet, or quintet. This part will be R/K, the second will be S/K (Souta/Kanna), the third and fourth will be M/S and S/K (Sesshoumaru/Kagura), and the fifth and final will be I/K (don't know whether it will be Kikyou or Kagome...). All chapters will start with a song for their theme and chapter title. Yay! This chapter uses a song sung by Reba McEntire, one of my favorite country artists. I just love this song, and if you ever heard it, you would too. I thought the scenes between Rin and her mother fit the song perfectly.

Anyway, I either have to use "-" or the hr code to separate parts of my story, A/Ns, etc. from now on, according to the rules. Oh well...

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**Chapter One: Don't Let Me Down**

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**-**

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_She handed me a heart shaped locket that said  
"To thine own self be true"  
And I shivered as I watched a roach crawl across  
The toe of my high heel shoe  
It sounded like somebody else that was talkin'  
Askin' "Mama what do I do?"  
She said "Just be nice to the gentlemen, Fancy,_

_And they'll be nice to you"_

_She said, here's your one chance Fancy don't let me down  
Here's your one chance Fancy don't let me down  
Lord, forgive me for what I do  
But if you want out well it's up to you  
Now don't let me down  
Your Mama's gonna move you uptown_

_-"Fancy," by Reba McEntire_

-

She sat on the cold, hard metal floor, watching the TV absorbedly. Most people would have found the news boring, especially an interview with some school's principal. But she wasn't most people, and this wasn't most schools. She was Tsukino Rin, and the reporters were interviewing Hane Kagura, former dancer - the most famous in Japan, to be specific - and principal of the Odoriko Institution of Performance Arts. It had been two years since Kagura had been promoted to principal, and three years prior she had been accepted as the school's instructor of modern dance.

"The reason Odoriko does not require students to wear uniforms anymore is simple," the woman's strong, confident - if not arrogant - voice came out of the television. "It's a school of arts, and all arts - visual or performance - require creativity. If they are required to wear uniforms, we're draining the creativity out of them." Her voice never faltered as the reporter questioned her methods, her scarlet eyes never shifted from the camera.

The woman had desired to turn the small, unrefined school that had possessed nothing more than class rooms for math and reading, a few lunch tables, and a gym which doubled for a dance hall that she had once attended into a famed and envied school of arts. And she had been successful, as anyone could clearly see.

This woman had been Rin's role model since she'd had first seen the woman dance on stage about ten years earlier during a performance of the American musical, _West Side Story_. Kagura hadn't been the star - the woman playing the role of "Maria" didn't have quite as much dancing collectively, probably due to a script change - but she had a number of beautiful dance routines. She had already been famous then, but had settled for a lesser role. The only possible explanation Rin could think of was that Kagura didn't enjoy singing - "Maria" had at least three major singing roles, at least one or two of which she sang all alone. She couldn't quite remember it all, though - she had only seen the performance twice since then.

Rin had always dreamed of attending Odoriko, and this year she had finally saved enough to pay half the tuition - her parents had agreed that if she could earn half that they would pay the rest. Unlike most students who attended the school, her parents were neither rich nor would-be celebrities with broken dreams, determined to make their child a star.

Her mother had been a kind, gentle woman who loved nothing more than her family, with long, flowing brown hair and freckles that softly powdered her cheeks and soft amber eyes that could only belong to someone who had cared and nurtured for a child from its birth.

Her father was a hardworking man with constantly dwindling wages that were barely enough to provide for them. He blamed himself for the constant problems they went through, but the truth was that nobody wanted to hire him due to his disability - he had fractured his leg about three years back, and, according to the doctor at least, there was next to no chance of it ever healing. The few people who would hire him didn't pay him nearly what he deserved, claiming his handicap limited his work.

Despite the hard times they often found themselves in, they always worked things out. Most children were ashamed of their parents long before the reached Rin's age, but as you know, Rin wasn't most people. She loved her parents and everything they did for her, and she knew they would always be there.

Rin thought she would never be among those chosen to attend Odoriko, and yet she had taken the chance. She had applied. If nothing else, she would finally settle her curiosity. She'd mailed out her application form three weeks ago, meaning it wouldn't be long until she received either a letter of approval or refusal. There was a little more than two weeks before the first day of school, and they liked you to be settled into your dorms and get used to the layout of the building by moving in a week early.

She sighed, fixing her gaze back on the screen as the commercials ended.

"Of course I think our academic teachers are a talented as our arts teachers!" the woman snapped. "Just because our students turn into actors and dancers more than scientists and mathematicians does _not_, by any means, signal that our academic courses are week. It's a school of _performance arts_, for Pete's sake! _And_ if more of our students turned into doctors and accountants you'd accuse us of charging the parents college-level fees for the type of education they could acquire at a public school."

"Hane Kagura is quite volatile," Rin mother told her, folding the shirt in her hands and placing it in a stack of clothes. "It's plain to see how she got the name 'Wildfire'." The corners of Rin's mouth turned up into a tiny smirk before she turned to watch the rest of the interview.

Their small apartment was rundown, with only two bedrooms, a cramped kitchen, and a bathroom that could barely fit in the shower it held. The floors were unstable in places and might fall through if you stood on them too long, but Rin learned which spots those were and remembered to avoid them. They had one eight inch television set with no cable, but Rin didn't have a problem with it. It just meant fewer distractions to keep her from earning her way into Odoriko.

Her mother glanced at her watch, then up at her daughter, smiling from her place on the depleted loveseat. "If I'm not mistaken, the mail should be arriving about now," she told her daughter cheerfully. Rin gasped, biting down on her lip.

"Oh no!" she gaped. "I nearly forgot!" She bolted out the door and quickly unlocked the box where the mail was put upon arrival. She snatched the cluster of envelopes and dashed back up the rickety stairs and into their apartment, afraid she might jinx it if she were to look through them without her mother at her side.

She sat down on the arm of the loveseat as her mother halted sorting out the laundry. "Well?" the woman questioned, "Go on and look." She gulped, flipping through them.

One for her parents - the electric bill. She put it aside for the moment.

One for "Mr. Tsukino or the current resident" - pre-approved credit cards. She tossed it in the waste basket, knowing the last thing they needed was another debt.

Another bill - this one for the water. She stacked it next to the electric bill.

There was only one left - a letter from the Odoriko Institution of Performance Arts. She bit the inside of her cheek until she could taste blood as she tore through the seal of the wrapper and unfolded the letter. Her eyes darted back and forth across the paper as her mother watched in worry. Her daughter had dreamed of this moment since she knew how, and to see a dream shattered... one of her daughter's, especially... She didn't know if she could handle it.

Rin's breath was caught in her chest as she tried to speak. She shook her head, handing the document to her mother. "I'm in..." she finally wheezed. "I've been accepted..." Her mother trembled, pulling her daughter into a tight embrace.

"Rin..." she wept softly, "I'm so proud of you. You finally have the chance to fulfill your dreams. You have a chance to do something with your life. Please, Rin... don't let me down." The girl nodded silently in acknowledgement, wiping her mother's misty eyes. "You'll try your hardest, and you'll never give up. You promise?"

"I promise, Mom," she vowed.

-

She stepped up to the massive building which was identified as the Odoriko Institute. She forced down the lump in her throat, suddenly feeling massively inferior. It was _much _smaller on TV, she realized. A nauseous feeling churned in her stomach as she looked over from the school. Even from the outside, it appeared to be a school for those that were pretty well-to-do.

"Don't let it intimidate you," her mother told her gently. "You deserve to be here just as much as those other students - if not more. You've _earned_ your way here, Rin. You don't have rich parents, and you're not relative to any of teachers. You got here on your own."

"I know," Rin sighed, shuffling her feet and fiddling with the strap of her duffle bag.

"Do you want me to walk you in?" the woman asked. Rin shook her head, taking the other bag from her mother and hoisting it onto her shoulder.

"No, I can manage," she promised. "I have to learn to stand on my own two feet. Besides, it shouldn't be too difficult." She knew it would be much more difficult than she let on, but she had to do things for herself. She wanted to prove to everyone that she could be just as good as anyone with a thousand times her money, maybe even better.

Her mother smiled in approval, nodded to her. "Alright, then we part here," she told her. "Don't forget to write every day, okay? I'll see you at Christmas." Her mother patted her daughter's shoulder and gestured to the enormous building. "Adieu." The girl bit her lip, bidding her mother farewell and entering the building.

'_They really should put a map in here somewhere,' _Rin thought dryly. _'I had an easier time navigating through the mall when I was nine!'_ She looked around her, sighing. Everything looked the same. _'This must be the academic wing.'_

"You lost?" a voice questioned. She spun around to one of the classroom doors to see a tall, raven-haired man leaning against the doorpost.

"Sort of..." she confessed.

"Is that a yes or a no?" he asked in amusement, shutting the door.

"Yes," she stated flatly. "I need to get to Principal Hane's office."

"In that case you're in luck," he chuckled, "I was headed in that direction." He locked the door and led her down the hall. "I'm Mr. Tsujitani," he explained, glancing over his shoulder at her, "ninth grade language arts teacher." She beamed, bowing slightly.

"Tsukino Rin," she informed him. "Ninth grader."

"Then I guess I'll get to see you in a few of my classes, then," he admitted. He gestured to large room to the right. "That's the library," he told her. "Directly across from it is the dance room, which I'm sure you know is the only class Principal Hane still teaches - she won't allow anyone else the honor. Up ahead is the gymnasium. If you get that class, you're coach will be Mr. Takashi the younger."

"'The younger?'" she questioned. He nodded.

"Takashi the elder teaches math for ninth grade." She nodded in acknowledgement. "And this room," he told her gleefully, stopping at the door, "is the drama room. If you take this class, your instructor will be my fiancé, Kuwashima Sango." He opened the door, beginning to step inside. "If you continue down this hall, you'll come to a stairway. Once you reach the top, take a sharp right. The second door on the left is Principal Hane's office - it shouldn't be difficult to find."

"Thank-you," she sighed in relief, dashing off down the marble hallway.

"Another lost student?" the woman at the front of the room guessed, setting down the papers she'd been working on. He nodded.

"But of course," he admitted to his fiancé.

"Don't you get a lot of secret admirers that way, Miroku-kun?" she questioned teasingly.

"And... that's a bad thing?" he joked.

"Miroku..."

-

The long marble hallway was nearly empty, the only sounds being her heavy breathing and the echoing of her footsteps. She was going to meet the woman that had been her idol since before she even knew the meaning of the word, which gave her fair reason to be nervous.

'_I have to act calm,' _she scolded herself. _'If she thinks I can't compose myself long enough to talk to her, she'll probably doubt my performance skills.' _Still, she couldn't help thinking that she'd seen Mr. Tsujitani somewhere before. And the name of the drama instructor! Sango wasn't a popular name - it was actually the first time she'd heard the word "coral" used as a name - and yet it sounded so familiar... She shook it off, reaching the top of the staircase and trying to remember which way she was supposed to go.

"_Once you reach the top, take a sharp right," _he had told her_, "The second door on the left is Principal Hane's office."_

She turned to the right and stopped at the second room. The door was bulky and constructed from glass, with two broad windows on either side. Hane Kagura could be seen in the room scratching something down onto a pad of paper, though Rin couldn't make out what is was from the distance and angle at which she was standing. _'Wildfire... she's even more radiant in person than she is on screen!' _Rin held her breath unknowingly, pushing the door open slightly and poking her head in.

"Well, don't just stand there," the woman sighed impatiently, "come on and take a seat." Rin obeyed silently. "You're a first year, am I right?"

"Yes," Rin responded, ambling in sitting in the cold, metallic chair and dropping her bags into the floor. The woman nodded, setting the paper aside, which Rin could now make out as a choreography sketch.

"I make it my duty to see each first-year when they arrive so that I can explain to them the rules and make sure they understand how serious a commitment this will be for them," Wildfire explained to her. "We don't tolerate dress code violations. Don't be under the misconception that just because we allow you to chose your clothes that we don't care how you clothe yourself. You will dress modestly and in a fashion appropriate for all school activities. Your shoulders must be covered, your skirts and shorts should reach past your fingertips when sitting down, no midriff should be visible, and you clothing shall not convey prejudice or criminal themes. Clear?"

"Of course," Rin admitted.

"No work should be turned in late unless you are sick with a note from the nurse, explaining that you were sick and confined to either your room or the nurse's office. Being tardy is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. If you get into a fight on any kind you will be temporarily dismissed to your home. If there is a second offense, you will be returned to your home with your parents for the remainder of the year. If such behavior continues, you will be permanently expelled from Odoriko."

"I assure you, I would never-" Rin began.

"They all say that," the woman reminded her coolly. "Words don't mean a thing unless you back them up with conduct."

"Forgive me," Rin apologized.

"As far as your rooms go, you are not to leave your corridors past nine P.M. unless you must see a teacher, and then only in emergency. If you are caught outside your room past ten P.M., you will be sentenced to sweeping classrooms for a week," she continued. "Speaking of which, I'll be needing your name so I can give you your room number and key."

"Tsukino," she affirmed, fidgeting with her charm bracelet, "Tsukino Rin." The woman nodded, extracting a key and a slip of paper from a drawer.

"Tsukino Rin, you're room will be on the second floor - room 235. You're roommate will be Hane Kanna, who is also in the ninth grade." Rin held her bracelet still, meeting the woman's deep crimson orbs.

"Hane?" she questioned.

"No relation," she explained, picking up the pencil and sketchpad she had been working with earlier. "To get to your room you'll continue down this hallway until you reach the end. The girls' corridors are to the right. Odd numbered rooms will be on the left side of the hall. You're dismissed, Miss Tsukino."

Rin nodded, taking the key and slip of paper from the woman whom she had idolized for so long grabbing her bags before heading out the door.

'_You'll see, Hane-sama,' _she silently vowed to both herself and Kagura, _'I'll be the greatest dancer to appear at Odoriko since you came along.'_

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A/N:

Yeah, yeah, I just had to add in Miroku and Sango. Anyway, their last names are the same as their seiyuu, Kagura's last name means "feather," and Rin's is the same as Sailor Moon's. I don't know how I came up with Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha's (Takashi the younger and Takashi the elder)... Oh, and the name "Odoriko" translates into "dancer"... I think...

I would have made this chapter longer, but I decided it would be better to stop there and start working on my other story. I was originally going to wait until I finished _Thirteen, _but I guess I just wanted to get started while my muse was burning. I have a Souta/Kanna one-shot set in the same setting as this, but it serves as a vague spoiler. Vague being the keyword. I think just about all the couplings except Souta/Kanna will be canon couplings, though. Yay for canon-ness! This is my first multi-chapter non-MS-centered fic, so don't be surprised if they play a large role.


	2. Chapter Two : Falling

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha, but that's okay, because last night's episode 78, _Aiming for Sango, Only You_! Well, the dubbed name is _Only You, Sango_, but... still... Unfortunately, though, I just found out that it was the last new episode to be played until December 22. That means, though, the new episodes will start on Christmas break, four a week! And I'll get to see Ayame dubbed! Heaven forbid she gets butchered... The moment I see her dubbed, I'm writing a Kouga/Ayame one-shot to celebrate!

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A/N:

I've been dying to work on this. Rin meets Sango, Kohaku, Kanna, Ayumi, and Souta in this chapter! Wow... lots of new faces, ne? I had hoped for a few more reviews... After all, this is actually one of my better fics, and to have my other fics surpass it in reviews for chapter one is a little discouraging. I do realize, though, that since Rin/Kohaku isn't quite as popular as Sango/Miroku that it is subject to have less reviews. Anyway, don't forget to tell your peers to read it. And review, people! Also, remember, AIM reviews do not count, so don't even think about trying it. I'll just nag at you until you write a review, even if all it says is 'I reviewed; now stop bugging me about it.'

Oh, and as for the part where Kagura said Kanna wasn't related to her... that will be explained in due time. I was surprised no one asked about it, though.

Once again, the chapter theme is a country song. Nya. :P

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_Reviews:_

_Kuro Ranmyaku: _Two lines of a review... fascinating... -pokes you-. You're getting lazy, Josh. You barely give me enough to reply to.

_Aamalie: _Yep. -nods- And I'm sure you'll remember that next time you start to not review. As far as dancing goes, I personally can't dance too well, either. That's why I'm slightly afraid of this fic - even though it's going pretty well at the moment, I fear I may screw it up with my very limited knowledge of dance. Oh well... if I didn't find some way to mess it up it would probably make all my other fics look really, really bad.

_Stripe: _Thank-you. They're like... my second/third favorite, but I'm pretty sure Miroku/Sango is stuck in first. So sue me, they're just so awesome... And that was a figure of speech, mind you. Please do not bring the lawyers out.

_Skittlez: _Yeah, same here. I think this is probably my best one, though... probably because I switched writing styles when I began it. I'm in a writing class at school, and my language teacher is really helping me to improve my writing.

_PriestessMiko: _Sorry, haven't read it. I just _had_ to add in the M/S engagement... otherwise, I would have ended up centering the fic way too much on them. The third part will end up being about them, though it will mostly be set pre-Rin... mostly. The last few chapters will be the wedding, etc. - set after Rin hooks up with Kohaku. That way it won't seem like I've posted them in a strange order. And of course Kohaku's gonna appear this chapter! Unfortunately, I love both Kikyou and Kagome as well... so that one will probably end up having to practically write itself. As far as your brain not working, sit in front of your computer and force yourself to write something! I've nearly forgotten what your story was about because you haven't updated in so long!

_Evil-Zukin: _Thanks!

_moonlit-night98: _Thank-you.

_Heart of Friendship: _Glad you finally got your internet back. Y'know, you are kinda obligated to tell me you like it since you're my friend. I'd prefer something helpful, like what I can improve on. Just a thought... :)

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**Chapter Two: Falling**

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_She says, you know the monkey bar rules  
As she kisses away his playground bruise  
You don't have to skip a bar each time  
To make it to the other side  
She picked him up from out of the sand  
Then tied the shoelace that read, Superman_

_We all fall down  
It's the gettin' back up that really counts  
We live and we learn  
To help someone up when it's their turn  
In life there's only one guarantee  
Your feet won't always be on the ground  
'Cause we all fall down  
__-"We All Fall Down," by Diamond Rio_

-

She sighed deeply in relief, dropping her heavy bags to the floor and knocking on the door to see if her roommate was currently in the room. She didn't want to barge in, after all, even if it was technically her room, too. What if her roommate was doing something private - changing, for instance?

"Yes?" a soft voice replied as the door cracked open. "Can I help you?"

"You must be Kanna," she assumed, extending a hand to the other girl. "My name's Rin; I'm your new roommate." The girl nodded in acknowledgement, letting the door open and returning to the laptop sitting on her bed.

"You can sit your things over there," she explained, gesturing to the other side of the room, gaze fixed on the screen in front of her. Rin raised her eyebrows at the girl's antisocialism, but decided she may have just been shy around people she wasn't familiar with. As she folded her clothes and put them away she studied the girl she would be rooming with. Her mellow eyes were a deep coffee shade, contrasting beautifully with the pale-blonde hair that hung gracefully past her shoulders.

'_She gorgeous,' _Rin admitted silently, _'but I bet she'd look even better if she tried to smile...'_

After putting away her things, Rin flopped down on her bed, examining the room. It resembled a typical three to four star hotel room, with two full sized beds, two dressers, a nightstand for each bed, and a bathroom. It was a bit small, but it was pretty luxurious compared to her apartment. The comforters were a deep burgundy, matching both the walls and the carpet. Rin noticed something else, as well: the room had air conditioner.

'_And all this time I thought the money I saved up went toward textbooks and soap for the bathrooms,' _she thought teasingly. She thought about sharing the joke with her new roommate, but the girl seemed a bit withdrawn. Besides, the girl was probably rich and might sneer at someone who thought the tuition was a large sum.

Her roommate glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand and turned off her laptop, folding it up. "I'll be back later," she explained quietly. "Remember to lock the door if you leave, and don't let in anyone that you don't know. There are bullies in the school, though Principal Hane doesn't like to admit it." Rin raised an eyebrow, cocking her head to one side. This girl was starting to act like somebody's mother...

She watched the girl exit, and hopping off the bed and into the floor. Sitting cross-legged on the carpet, she pulled her black dancing leotard and silk pants out of the dresser drawer. When she first wanted to learn to dance, she was about four, and like most girls, she had wanted to learn ballet. When she was eleven or so, though, she had decided that modern dance and swing dancing seemed more her style.

She remembered the last time Hane "Wildfire" Kagura had been in a public performance, which had been a little over two years ago. Rin confessed that it was "the most beautiful choreography ever composed in the history of choreography." She had tried and tried to remember and perfect parts of the dance, but she had been an utter failure. She couldn't figure why or how she messed up every time, either. It just seemed to happen, and that was all she knew. That was why she had to become a student at Odoriko - to find what her mistakes were, and then to correct them.

She sighed, laying them gently back into the drawer and hopping to her feet. "Maybe the library's open..." she mused, pacing out the door, locking it behind her as Kanna had told her to.

-

The shelves towered over her, stretching for what seemed like forever in all directions. She gaped at the vast amount of books around her, trembling in awe.

"Can I help you?" a sweet, syrupy voice that was almost perfect for a kindergarten teacher asked. Rin turned to see a young woman with brilliant amber eyes and thick, ebony curls that reached the center of her back. She didn't look old enough to be a teacher, but she didn't appear to be a student, either. "I'm Ms. Yamaguchi Ayumi, an intern here. I probably can't be of as much assistance as a teacher, but I'm pretty familiar with the building."

"Just browsing," she admitted. The young woman nodded with a smile.

"Alright, then, but If you need any help, just let me know."

Rin gawked, backing in the direction of the skits and plays. She had never seen so many books in a school library before... She came in hard contact with a shelf, yelping and jumping back at the unexpected feeling of the icy metal against her back. She winced as a few books plummeted to the beige carpet.

"Maybe you should try looking where you're going," a voice suggested sincerely.

"Sorry..." she murmured, turning to meet the woman's eyes. The woman smirked, shaking her head and gathering the books into her arms.

"Be careful about walking backwards," she warned teasingly, "that's how I met my fiancé. You must be new here, right?" She nodded.

"It's painfully obvious, isn't it?" Rin sighed, leaning against the bookshelf. "Tsukino Rin, grade nine."

"Ms. Kuwashima," the woman stated. "I teach drama for all grades. Plan on taking the class?"

"I was thinking about it-" she began. "Wait! Aren't you engaged to Mr. Tsujitani?" The young woman rolled her eyes, sighing in slight exasperation and tucking a lock of mahogany behind her right ear.

"So he's already started announcing it to random people and I haven't even had the chance to tell Kagura and Ayame yet," she muttered. "Word travels fast, hmm?" Rin hid a smile with her hand turning away so that she couldn't tell that she was almost ready to laugh. Rin bit her lip, thinking for a moment.

"Ms. Kuwashima, you wouldn't know anyone who could help me with dance, would you?" she asked hesitantly. "I keep messing up, and I don't think Ms. Hane's class alone will be enough to show me what I'm doing wrong." A light chuckled escaped her teacher's throat as she removed a book from the shelf.

"I used to have trouble dancing, as well..." she recalled, looking over her shoulder at the young girl; "My brother, Kohaku - he's in tenth grade- could probably help you. If you like, I could tell you where to find him." The girl beamed, brown eyes shining.

"Thank-you."

-

She bit her lip, glancing from the number she'd written on her hand to the brass digits on the door, sighing in relief. This was it. She rapped her knuckles on the door in front of her, fidgeting with a loose thread on her blouse.

"Hello," a boy answered, stepping out of the now opened door. "Can I help you?" The boy wasn't exactly how she'd pictured him. He's was shorter than she would expect a tenth grader to be, not to mention he didn't share any of Ms. Kuwashima's facial features. It was hard to believe he was the woman's younger brother...

She took a deep breath.

"Your sister suggested that I should come to you for help with my dancing," she blurted thoughtlessly, "I'm having a little trouble, and-"

"_Kagome_ wants me to help you _dance_?" he questioned as utter confusion washed over his face.

"No," Rin corrected, raising an eyebrow in equal confusion, "Ms. Kuwashima."

"Oh." He turned around to look at his roommate, who was sitting on the bed nearest the door and reading an American book by Tamora Pierce. "You must be looking for Kohaku, then."

She flushed beet red, turning away to look at the wall, grinning foolishly. She forgot that there were _two _people in each room. "Sorry..."

The boy looked up, turning to her. He nodded in acknowledgement, folded over one page of the book to mark his place and put it on the table next to his bed. A band of freckles stretched across the bridge of his nose, complementing his small nose and dark eyes. He stood a few inches taller than his roommate, with his shoulder-length black hair tied at his crown. Rin felt her cheeks warm as he smiled at her.

"I'll see what I can do," he promised, leading her down the hallway to the staircase. "Principal Hane usually doesn't mind if I practice in the dance room."

She nodded, trying to repress the red tint painted over her cheeks. "I'm really sorry about that - all Ms. Kuwashima told me was your name and room number... You're roommate must think I'm an idiot now-"

"You're a first-year, aren't you?" he guessed, leading her down the flight of stairs.

"It's that obvious...?" she questioned, even more humiliated than before. He chuckled lightly, shaking his head at her.

"Only a newbie would be that cynical," he explained. "That kind of stuff happens all the time here." She sighed in relief, loosening her death grip in the banister.

"Oh..." was all that she could manage to get out. She'd been accused of being many things in her life, but 'cynical' was never one of them.

Kohaku held the door open for her as they entered the dance room. The walls were light amethyst; the floors, pale mahogany. It was a beautiful sight.

"Okay," he announced, replacing his shy tone with one far more professional than she would expect a schoolboy to posses. "Assume position." He watched her intently, shaking his head. "Fist of all, your feet are wrong." He carefully repositioned her feet, making sure that they were exactly right. She could feel the blood flowing back into her cheeks as his hand brushed against the skin on her ankle. What was the big deal? He was just a boy - why was shy blushing?

"My feet feel weird," she pointed out. "The other way felt more natural." He let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples.

"If dancing came naturally," he explained pointedly, "then it probably wouldn't be an art." Rin snickered lightly. She couldn't tell whether he was amused or exasperated - she wasn't sure which was worse.

"I guess not," she admitted, forcing her feet to hold their position.

"It may strain your muscles at first," he explained patiently, "but it will start to feel more natural if you keep at it." She clenched her teeth, feeling her leg muscles tighten. She had to endure, no matter how obnoxiously painful it was. "Let's start with a few basic dances," he suggested. "Do you know any?" She shook her head. "Alright, I'll demonstrate. Watch."

She watching in awe of how graceful his transition was as he preformed the dance she'd seen Hane Kagura perform so many times before. It was hard to believe it was one of the simpler dances, but it was choreographed by The Wildfire herself - for it to be simple would be a crime against nature.

"Okay, see if you can copy that," he asked, "and I'll tell you what you're doing wrong." He watched at she attempted to repeat the performance, drawing his nails to his teeth. It was an old habit, and one he could never manage to break.

His sister was wise to send the girl to him. She toppled forward, she fell backwards, her feet would slide out from under her and send her crashing to the floor. She did everything but dance.

She moved her feet the wrong way, collapsing onto the floor. "I guess my form needs a little work..." she confessed, pushing herself upwards.

"I think we need to work on your coordination," he recommended, extending a hand to her and helping her to her feet. "I think some of Sango's stage exercises might be helpful." Rin nodded, trying to remember who Sango had been. She'd met a lot of people in the past day, and putting a name with a face was hard work. "Uh, I mean, Ms. Kuwashima," he corrected himself. "Her first name is 'Sango.' I keep forgetting that I'm not supposed to be on a first-name-basis with the teachers. Anyway, she has some exercises to help actors improved their coordination. I suppose if it's good enough for an actor, it's good enough for a dancer."

It did make sense - like dancing, acting required memory, coordination, balance, and poise.

"Okay, now reposition your feet and I'll explain each step to you."

-

A/N:

Does anyone know if Ayumi was ever given a last name? Anyway, next chapter we meet everyone's favorite living-stone, a tomboy and an overly perky girl with a crush on everyone's favorite lech! Won't that be fun? The chapter was shorter than last time, but I wanted to save the next part for the next chapter, since I'm still contemplating it.

Oh, and I now have a poll I'd like you all to participate in, which will have an impact on the story in future chapters:

Would you like Kaede to be...

A) Rin's age (Kikyou's sister)

B) Eleven (Kikyou's niece)

C) A teacher - same age as anime/manga (Kikyou's aunt)

D) The school nurse - same age as anime/manga (same as above)


	3. Chapter Three : Changing

**Disclaimer: **The characters and the song aren't mine, though I do own the plot line . . . sort of. It is very loosely based upon Tamora Pierce's **Protector of the Small** series. Virtual cookies if you can associate three characters from this story to Tamora Peirce's characters and can explain your reasoning.

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AN:

Well, like my disclaimer stated, this story is inspired by Tamora Peirce's books, especially **Protector of the Small**. I'll give you virtual cookies if you can relate characters and explain your reasoning. I'll give you a hint, though: many of the characters have multiple inspirations, and you can debate your answers.

I'm super excited because Kenny Chesney got the CMA Album of the Year Award and the much coveted Entertainer of the Year Award! -squeals- Kenny rules!

Anyway, sorry for the wait. I had some serious computer trouble, as my **Forever Young **and **Thirteen** readers have already heard. A lot of my files were ruined/screwed up slightly in the transfer, as well. I'm back, though, and as hyper and eager as ever. Unfortunately, though, I don't have a spell-checker:

_**Wanted: Beta-reader** _

_Reward: Getting to be the first to read my stories and getting a chapter dedication_

_Requirements: Must be a fairly eloquent writer and keep in contact with me through AIM or e-mail_

Yup. My little ad for a beta-reader. I need one now especially, since I don't have Word anymore - just WordPad.

Oh, and if I'm a little... er... uninformed on the Japanese school system, please forgive me. I know how middle schools work and I know that in Japan ninth grade is in middle school. If I do something weird... well, it's a private school and they don't have to follow the same standard as a public school. I mean, this is Kagura's school we're talking about.

Also, remember that, in Japan, English and language arts are not the same thing. In Japan, English is foreign language. Just a reminder for later chapters.

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_Reviews:_

_OnlyCoolEmoBoysKiss_: Thank-you. I'm glad you enjoy this story.

_Stripe_: I hope so. The episode is gonna be so cute! And I'll get to see Ayame a few episodes later, too. That'll be awsome...

_moonlit-night98_: Thank-you. -bows- Glad to have fans.

_Tache: _Thanks for voting/reading.

_Museless Author_: I agree - RinKohaku stories are really lacking. Though, in Aamalie's latest one, I think there might be a but of RinKohaku, or it's at least hinted at. She would be happy if you read it.

_ninalee-chan_: Well, if he crowds want Kaede to be Rin's age/eleven, then I'll chose somebody else to be the nurse, like maybe Kagome's mom. I just couldn't chose...

_PriestessMiko_: You seem hyper... Anyways, the tomboy is Souten. Ayame is a teacher - Ms. Shobu. Speaking of which, I can't wait until Ayame's episode! Glad you updated OSFA. ;)

_Heart of Friendship_: Whoops... uh... yea... Anyways, I'm glad I inspired you to write, but now how about I inspire you to finish/post, hm? I'd like to read it.

_deadmuse_: I don't do Mary-Sues, and in this story Kikyou isn't dead. Besides, that will be the final installment and will probably take over a year to get to. And I have decided to make it KikyouSuikotsu.

_Aamalie_: Uh... Koharu is in it... because I needed more characters to be Rin's age. And Rin is fourteen. Don't worry, we all have bad memory. :)

_d4rk mew_: Wow... you're the first Naraku fangirl to ever review any of my stories... anyway, I'll see if I can get him in either this story or Part 2 as Kagura/Kanna's father.

_Yami Akari: _Yup. Glad you finally decided to review. You're ending to NMI was so sad, though... But, it was pretty good. Can't wait for your next Inuyasha fanfic.

_Kuro Ranmyaku_: Uh-huh... and how are you going to stop me from calling you lazy? I've still got the button to summon the monkeys, you know. And the VFT. You don't want me to show you the VFT, do you?

_RvenfireI_: I used to think I had created it, but I saw a story and a fanart featuring them... now I'll never be able to create an AP that doesn't interfere with canon couples or contain yaoi/yuri/incest. Alas, my life is cruel.

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**Chapter Three: Changing**

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_Everything's changing when I turn around   
I'm out of my control   
I'm a mobile   
Everything's changing when I turn around   
I'm out of my control   
I'm a mobile _

Start back at this life   
Stretch myself back into the light   
I'm waking up to say I've tried   
Instead of waking up to another TV Guide   
Its time now, I turn around   
Turn and walk on this crazy ground

-"_Mobile,"_ by Avril Lavigne

-

Rin moaned in exhaustion, collapsing onto her bed and rubbing her feet, which were burning from the intense exercises. She grabbed a cloth she had submerged in cold water and applied pressure to her feet, heaving a sigh.

"Did it go well?" her roommate questioned softly, letting her bleached-blond locks tumble over her shoulders as she removed the band from her hair. She snapped the band around her pale wrist and dropped into the chair in front of her desk where the laptop sat.

"I wish," Rin groaned, falling back onto her pillow and laying the cloth across her eyes. "Kohaku's nice," she explained - _'and he's definitely no eye-sore,'_ she added silently - "but the training is _killing_ my poor feet! I swear, I won't have feet left to dance with by the time I graduate!" She thought she saw the girl's lips twitch upward into a small smile, but she wasn't sure because the rag across her face limited her vision.

"You don't plan to quit, do you?" she asked, smoothing out her lips into a thin line once more as the soft peck of a keyboard assured her that the girl had commenced with her writing. She wondered what kind of home she would have had to come from to end up being so - composed? No, that wasn't the word - empty.

"Never," she protested firmly, straightening up and dabbing her feet with the cloth. "I vowed to myself that I shall dance, and dance I shall!" she exclaimed melodramatically.

Kanna smiled calmly, returning to whatever she had been typing on her computer. Rin watched her as her fingers flowed steadily and smoothly, like water. If Kanna was water, then it stood to reason that Rin was fire. They were complete opposites, and yet they had been living together for almost a week.

Rin smiled contently, taking the mechanical pencil from her nightstand and sliding her notepad from beneath her pillow. Seeing how it was Sunday evening - just an hour before dinner time - it would be a good time to write a letter home.

-

She glanced from her schedule to the brass numbers on the classroom door. It was the math room, her first class. She had always hated math. Something bitter in the back of her mind taunted her, telling her that her teacher - Takashi the elder, Mr. Tsujitani has called him - would be cruel, strict, and give an inconceivable amount of homework. She shook it away, hoping that it was just her "cynical side", as Kohaku had called it. He was really beginning to grow on her, but he was a bit standoffish. With a gentle push, she might even be able to call him her friend soon.

Realizing the she was daydreaming in front of the math room, she gritted her teeth and trudged into the class, taking her seat in the back. She wouldn't be noticed there, right?

"Pass these out," she was commanded as a stack of papers landed on her desk. "One to each student." So much for her plan to be invisible... She plastered a smile on her face and nodded.

"I'd be glad to," she informed him with fake cheerfulness that sounded strangely real, at least to him. He smiled in amusement.

"Teacher's pet," she heard someone grumble. She wanted to turn at stick out her tongue, but she didn't know who had said it. _'Besides,'_ she reminded herself, _'I don't want to get in trouble on my first day here.'_

As she place a syllabus on each student's desk, she realized something about her teacher: his hair was _white_ - whiter than Kanna's. He didn't look more than thirty or so, either.

"If you're standing there gawking at Mr. Takashi's hair, you won't get an answer," someone behind her assured her. She jumped in shock, dropping a few of the papers. "I'm Souta," he told her cheerfully, picking up a few of her dropped papers. "Remember me - Kohaku's roommate?"

"Yea... Kohaku's roommate." She fumbled with the papers, feeling foolish once more. He handed her back the dropped papers and dropped his things into the seat beside her.

"By the way, I never caught your name," he pointed out, sliding into the chair. She placed the extra papers on her teacher's table, sitting down.

"Rin," she replied, following suit. "My name is Rin." He nodded, smiling.

"My sister, Kagome, is a senior here," he explained. "I know everything on our four academic teachers - well, three of them. I can't tell you much on Ms. Shobu." He lowered his voice, leaning in her direction. "Takashi is super strict. Don't back-talk or whine, and _never_ come to class late. Other than that, just make passing grades and you won't have any problems with him." Rin nodded, hanging on his every word. She wanted to know what her teachers would be like as much as the next student, after all.

"Then, of course, there's Ms. Higurashi, who teacher history." He smirked. "She's my cousin, so Kagome didn't have to tell my anything about _her_. She's nice enough, but never blurt out in her class. If she thinks you're not paying attention, she'll thump her meter-stick against the blackboard." She winced at the thought of wood snapping on the board. She had to make sure to pay attention in that class.

"And I can't forget Tsujitani-san," he continued. "He's the cool teacher - of course, I'm a writer... so... if you don't like writing-"

"I can do writing," she murmured. "It's just not really my forte."

"Anyway, it's nearly impossible to get on his bad side. If you do, though, I can guarantee it will be a living nightmare. This girl I know - Koharu, I think was her name - had an uncle who used to go out with - well, more like stalk, actually - Ms. Kuwashima, who I'm sure you've heard is his fiancé, but Mr. Tsujitani hated him with a passion. I doubt we would have to worry about that, though." Souta laughed lightly, Rin joining in simply so she would feel weird.

Rin smirked. "I actually heard from Mr. Tsujitani himself - that he and Ms. Kuwashima are engaged, I mean. I was hopelessly lost, so he pointed out the office."

"You've met Tsujitani and Kuwashima?" Souta confirmed. She nodded. "Anyway, Ms. Shobu is the science teacher. She's nice enough, but don't be misled - if you push her too far, she'll explode. Or..." He shuddered. "She'll call in Mr. Kaito, who's one of out two gym teachers. You don't want him mad - he's a black belt. He won't hurt students, but... well... he will give you a scare."

Souta snapped forward, hearing Mr. Takashi's serene, deep voice fill the room. Class was starting, and Rin was apparently engulfed in what he was saying. She was going to be one heck of a teacher's pet in this class.

-

She sighed contently, strolling down the spotless hallway. If she hadn't known better, she might have thought Principal Hane was a neat-freak, but she already knew that it was for the school image and not for Principal Hane's sanity - or vanity, even. Odoriko was the most expensive and famed performance art institution in all of Japan, and the staff couldn't downplay the value of the parents' money with filth and clutter. She halted at an open door, entering and taking a seat on a long, wooden bench that was the same beautiful mahogany of the teacher's hair.

"Good morning, Rin," the woman greeted her, sorting through a stack of what appeared to be scripts. "You're a little early, you know. Most people take the entire five minutes - sometimes six or seven."

"I know," she admitted, booting her teal-colored backpack with her tennis-shoes. "I didn't have anything to get for any of my classes, so I came her ahead." The woman nodded, setting the scripts aside.

"So, how have things go with Kohaku?" she inquired, sitting next to her and separating booklets for _Romeo and Juliet _from _West Side Story._

"It was okay, I guess," she admitted nonchalantly. "I never thought dancing would be so painful and tiresome, though. Hane Kagura and Kohaku all make it look so easy."

"Kohaku is a marvel, isn't he?" She chuckled lightly. "Kagura has been training with him since she first came here to instruct dance, before she was principal. He's her star pupil, she says, and he's destined for great things." Rin's eyes trailed to a script her teacher had dropped - _West Side Story. _

"That was the first musical I ever saw Hane Kagura in," Rin admitted. "It was quite a while ago - before she was a teacher. She was in her mid-twenties, I think." She picked it up, handing it to her instructor.

"That was actually my first musical," the woman sighed absently. "I was 'Maria', ninth grade year. Mr. Tsujitani got the part of Tony - like I said, I literally ran into him when I first met him, at the audition." Rin's gasped, clasping a hand over her mouth. This woman couldn't have been the woman who played Maria the day she saw Wildfire for the first time... could it? She's have to see if she could find the program, which she always kept in her keepsake box.

"Hello, Rin," a voice rang softly. The voice was amazingly beautiful and melodic - there was only one person she knew that had such a voice. She turned to see Kanna, a tiny smile grazing the girl's lips. "How have you been?" She took a seat on the other side of Rin as Ms. Kuwashima stacked the sets of scripts on a stool in front of the room.

"Okay, I suppose," she admitted, tugging at the brunette locks that framed her face. "I met Mr. Takashi." Kanna nodded, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly (which Rin had learned was her way of smiling).

"Mr. Takashi hangs out with my older sister a lot," she mused.

"You're sister?" Rin questioned. "Who's your sister?"

"Never mind," Kanna blurted quickly. "It doesn't matter. I don't want to talk about my family," she added, almost in a whisper.

-

Rin took her seat in the language room, looking over her schedule. Her next period was lunch, meaning she'd get a break fro, loading up on handouts and gossip about her teachers. Thank God for that.

"Hiya!" an overly chipper voice announced. "I'm Koharu." Rin looked up at the girl, raising an eyebrow. The girl was about as hyper as Rin was at the age of seven...

"I'm Tsukino Rin," she mumbled, lightly sketching the form of her math teacher onto a sheet of paper out of boredom. The girl plopped into the seat next to her. Somehow, the name "Koharu" seemed familiar... Something she'd been told, perhaps? She shook it away.

"I love language class," she sighed dreamily, leaning onto her hand and dreamily gazing to the front of the room wher Mr. Tsujitani could be seen typing at a computer. It was painfully obvious this girl had a crush on her teacher...

"Good grief, Takeda, leave the poor girl alone," an aggravated alto voice growled. Rin looked up to see a tall, rather masculine-looking girl with her ebony hair twisted back into a French-braid. "Why don't you just find some other teacher to swoon over - like one that's not taken?"

The giddy girl - Koharu, as she called herself - bit her lip in furry, whirring around. "It's a free country," she pointed out, "I can swoon over whomever I please!" The masculine girl rolled her eyes, collapsing into the chair behind Rin.

"Yamaguchi Souten," she announced, leaning forward. "What's your name?" Rin looked around for a moment to make sure the girl was speaking to her, then grinned.

"Rin, Tsukino Rin," she proclaimed. Souten pursed her lips, twirling her bang which hung loosely around her face in her fingers.

"I've heard that name before..." She rubbed the back of her neck, thinking. "Oh! You're the girl Kohaku is helping to dance! My friend, Shippou, hangs out with Kohaku, Souta - the whole gang." She glared at the girl Koharu. "Unfortunately, they're too nice to tell Miss Thing over there to get lost." The girl stuck her tongue out at Souten before turning her gaze back at the teacher.

"I guess she's a real teacher's pet, hm?" Rin questioned, pointing to Koharu. Souten sniggered under her breath.

"Not with Kanna around," the girl explained; "Koharu doesn't stand a chance at that position, running against 'the majestic stylings of Little Miss Hane,' as Shiori says." Rin nodded. If Kanna was a writer - which would explain her computer frenzy - then - according to Souta - Kanna would be a favorite.

Koharu scrunched her nose, turning back to Souten. "I could beat her, if I really tried, but-"

"You're too distracted by him," Souten finished mockingly. She snorted, leaning forward and whispering to Rin, "She honestly thinks he flirts with her." She laughed dryly. "He's engaged and she's a student. Honestly, I don't claim Mr. Kaito is flirting every time he smiles at me and says I'm doing better at karate than most of the boys!"

Rin began, "Infatuation does weird things to you-"

"I wouldn't know," Souten interrupted sharply.

"-but this is definitely not healthy. I bet we could find her someone her own age." Souten raised an eyebrow.

"She won't give up until he's dead, if then," she pointed out, "and I should hope no boy would be that stupid."

"She can't be that bad, can she?" Rin begged. Souten smirked, shaking her head.

"You must be one of those people that look for good in everyone," she chuckled. "Or you're a horrible judge of character. Just wait - it gets better. Too bad she's not in you drama class, because the way she acts there is anime worthy - four star comedy."

"Class is starting!" Koharu gasped excitedly, elbowing Rin. Souten rolled her eyes, as if to say, 'Here we go again...'

-

AN:

I wanted to make it longer, but I guess I wanted to save lunch for chapter four, where she'll meet Shiori, Shippou, Satsuski (maybe...), and Kaede, if the readers want her to be Rin's age, or even eleven. It's up to you to vote, and I don't mean for president because Bush is already back! And to think, I already made a bunch of "Save the Environment - Plant a Bush Back in Texas" signs... - kidding! I didn't care who won. :)


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